If you're Dutch, then you should know what banket is (pronounced "Bon-ket"). It is one of my favorite baked goodies that we have at Christmas time. This year my mom didn't make it so I thought I'd give it a try. I've always been nervous to try to bake it because it is one of my mom's specialties and she is a master at making it. Today I decided to make some. I made the dough last night since it has to sit in the fridge overnight. The rest I put together this afternoon. They didn't turn out as nice as my mom's, but for my first try I'd say they turned out pretty good...they at least taste like the should. I did have a couple sticks that the almond paste exploded out the side, but they still tasted fine. I'll have to ask my mom for her tips on how you stop that from happening. So here are the pictures of how I made banket.
Here is the recipe for those who want it.
1 lb butter
4 cups flour
1 cup water - ice cold
Mix and refrigerate overnight so dough is firm. (My mom says it's best to mix by hand, I did it the easy way and used my kitchen aid mixer)
1 lb almond paste (grated - just break it into little pieces by hand)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs (beaten)
Mix and chill overnight. (You have to mix this in your mixer or use a hand mixer to beat it up)
Divide dough equally into 8 parts. Roll out dough to roughly 14 x 5 inches. With fingers, lay a section of filling down the length of dough. Wet ends of dough and flip over filling. Wet all remaining edges and roll loosely to seal stick. Brush tops with beaten egg white. Prick with fork every inch (although after I made mine I was told to cut slits in the top and that stops the almond paste from exploding out the side). Bake on greased jelly roll pan in a 400-425 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Watch carefully so that it doesn't get too brown. (I did mine at 400 for 20 minutes and that was just right). Makes 8 sticks.
(Some of my almond filling spilled out from the inside, so that's
why it looks funny. It still tasted good though.)
5 comments:
OHH!! Yes!!! We know this as Almond Stick! Some awesome baker in our church makes this for Kevin every Christmas, we get about 2 sticks. Kevin has a hard time sharing ANY with us. No, I'm not exaggerating.....b/c it's THAT good! Maybe I'll have to try my hand at banket next year.
I was told that my almond paste leaked out some of it because I didn't make big enough slits on the top (my recipe said to just poke a fork in it). So I'll try it that way next year and hopefully won't have as many almond explosions out the sides :)
Yummy Rachael! You'll have to post your recipe on the blog. Jason loves the stuff. Merry Christmas to your family:).
Hmmm. We love banket. I grew up knowing it as Almond Stick, though. Imagine that in the Dutch town of Lynden! It wasn't until I got to Calvin that I learned the Dutch name for it! It's my favorite holiday treat and I have never dared to try it. Maybe I'll have to next year. Thanks!
Way to go, Rachael! I'm not a fan of banket, but do enjoy oliebolen.
Post a Comment